Thump—thump—

It seemed like it could pop out of my mouth at any moment, jumping too fast and completely out of control, even giving me an absurd feeling that I might faint at any moment.

After all, Zhou Jinglan had thought about this countless times in his mind. He finally spoke it out, finally in front of the little goddess. His feelings at this moment were beyond words.

Zhou Jinglan waited anxiously for Qiao Xinruo's answer, or rather, his judgment.

Qiao Xinruo: "..."

The other person's trembling voice, flushed face, and shy yet closely following gaze all told Qiao Xinruo what his invitation meant.

Qiao Xinruo has received many such invitations and is very good at refusing them. She can always refuse without changing her expression, and she even has a ready-made reason.

She only wants to focus on her career and has no interest in men.

Dating is such a waste of time, with all the dating and other things involved. It's practically slowing her down, so it's not a smart choice at all.

I didn't— this weekend

There is one empty space left.

Qiao Xinruo didn't want to date. She thought that as long as she said she was busy this weekend, the other person should understand what she meant. But just as she was about to say that word, she noticed that Zhou Jinglan's expression changed.

Indeed, Zhou Jinglan's expression changed.

Anyone who extends such an invitation, is in a state of excitement, and then hears the invitee say most of their refusal, leaving only the last word, can still control their facial expressions?

Anyway, Zhou Jinglan couldn't do it right now. He didn't want to show his disappointment in front of Qiao Xinruo. After all, he had only been rejected, which was normal, wasn't it?

Why should he expect Qiao Xinruo to agree to his request so readily?

Is he some kind of amazing person?

Even if he is rejected, he can completely sort out his feelings and state of mind and keep trying. Isn't that how everyone is in a relationship? You have to go through many tests. What's one rejection?

"actually--"

Zhou Jinglan wanted to say that it was nothing, and if Qiao Xinruo was not free, they could find another opportunity later. He didn't want the atmosphere to become too bad, and he didn't want Qiao Xinruo to feel embarrassed.

But at that moment, Qiao Xinruo had already caught the change in Zhou Jinglan's expression.

Like a cheerful little dog sticking out its tongue to please its owner, it droops its head pitifully after being refused playtime, its eyes glistening with tears as if it could burst into tears at any moment.

In short, Qiao Xinruo herself couldn't explain why, but in that instant, the words she was about to say inexplicably took a different turn.

"I'm free this weekend, we can have dinner together." Before Qiao Xinruo could even react, the words had already slipped out.

"Huh?" This time it was Zhou Jinglan's turn to be stunned.

He was stunned for several seconds before he realized what had happened.

Is this what it feels like to win the lottery?

It was so dreamlike that Zhou Jinglan couldn't believe it.

"You, you agreed?" Zhou Jinglan was overjoyed and couldn't help but take a step forward, getting even closer to Qiao Xinruo.

Such a naive gesture inadvertently pleased Qiao Xinruo.

For some reason, Qiao Xinruo felt a tiny bit of secret pleasure seeing Zhou Jinglan's reaction, but after that pleasure came mostly regret...

Tsk, how did she agree to that?

If it weren't for Zhou Jinglan's presence, Qiao Xinruo would have wanted to slap herself across the face.

How could you be so quick to change your mind?

Just because Zhou Jinglan showed a momentary look of disappointment?

No, whether Zhou Jinglan is disappointed after being rejected is none of her business. What she said is water spilled, and it's too late to take it back now.

Qiao Xinruo took a deep breath, suppressing her emotions, and seeing Zhou Jinglan's incredulous expression, deliberately asked a question.

"What, are you backing out now?"

“No!” Zhou Jinglan immediately retorted.

How could he possibly go back on his word?

The little goddess agreed to his request—no, clearly the little goddess was about to refuse at the beginning, and he didn't understand why, but at the last moment, the little goddess changed her mind.

This was an outcome Zhou Jinglan never dared to even imagine; how could he possibly go back on his word?

"Dr. Qiao, I... I haven't changed my mind. This weekend! This weekend... I'll pick you up, and we'll go out to eat together," Zhou Jinglan said, sounding even a little embarrassed at the end.

Qiao Xinruo: "..."

Oh well, what's done is done, slapping myself won't change anything.

“Okay,” Qiao Xinruo nodded, not wanting to continue the slightly awkward atmosphere, she turned and quickly left, “Then I’ll go back first.”

Zhou Jinglan was not given a chance to say goodbye at all.

Zhou Jinglan stood there blankly, as if he couldn't process what had just happened, staring blankly in the direction Qiao Xinruo had left.

The little goddess accepted his invitation!

She really agreed!

In that instant, joy enveloped his entire being, making him feel as if he were in a dream.

Qiao Xinruo reflected on her behavior on her way home.

She was about to refuse, but why did she change her mind at the last minute?

Zhou Jinglan didn't hold a knife to her neck to threaten her, so why did she change her mind?

Could it be... really because of Zhou Jinglan's face?

Although she had always known that she was somewhat obsessed with looks, Qiao Xinruo felt a little ashamed of herself for being so "unprincipled" because of her appearance.

"Actually, he's just average-looking," Qiao Xinruo said stubbornly.

Finally, she attributed her unusual behavior today to a lack of clarity in her mind, which led her to make this inexplicable decision. It certainly wasn't because Zhou Jinglan's appearance was so appealing to her.

No, that can't be!

You absolutely mustn't tell your family about this, otherwise my second brother will definitely laugh at me...

Qiao Xinruo wasn't too worried about her eldest brother, sister-in-law, and older sister, but her second brother was a different story. He would definitely not miss such a good opportunity to make fun of her, and Qiao Xinruo felt a headache just thinking about it.

Especially considering how serious and righteous she looked when her older siblings joked about her not wanting to date, isn't she just contradicting herself now?

Although she only agreed to go out to dinner with Zhou Jinglan, the meaning behind this act was all too obvious.

If there wasn't even the slightest chance, given Qiao Xinruo's personality, she would never have accepted such an obviously suggestive invitation; she certainly couldn't explain herself now.

Tsk, Qiao Xinruo now truly understands what "one wrong step can lead to eternal regret" means.

It's all that kid's fault for having that face!

snort!

It's definitely not her fault. It's just that it's hard to say no when you're faced with that face.

*

Sorry, everyone, there was a bug in the previous update. Xiao Zhou has been promoted to guild leader.

The author has a terrible memory!